For instance, some days athletes have their “A” game and can do no wrong. At other times, athletes may feel like they have their “B” or “C” game and struggle to find their rhythm.
In sports, each day brings a new challenge.
For instance, some days athletes have their “A” game and can do no wrong. At other times, athletes may feel like they have their “B” or “C” game and struggle to find their rhythm.
In baseball, pitchers can be the reason opposing hitters may not have their “A” game on a particular day.
Indeed, at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels of baseball, top pitchers try to disrupt the timing of the other team’s batters.
One way that pitcher’s attempt to do this is by mixing in changeups with fastballs. A good circle change will often look the same to the hitter as a fastball, but come to the plate 10 mph slower. As a result, hitters often lunge forward when thrown a changeup, rather than keeping their hands back and driving the baseball.
For the Kenston Bombers Baseball Team, sophomore Bryant Kuchta used the circle change on the mound on April 30 to disrupt the Chardon Hilltoppers’ timing in a 4-1 victory at Kenston.
After the Hilltoppers defeated the Bombers 13-3 in the first game of their season series at Munson Township Park on April 27, Kuchta used his stellar changeup to earn a complete game victory. In seven innings of work, Kuchta only allowed 1 run on 6 hits and struck out eight.
Afterwards, Kuchta said that he felt really good at the start of the game as all of his pitches were moving the way that he wanted them to.
Mentally knowing his pitches were doing what he wanted them to do in addition to having a good start in his last game, helped Kuchta feel confident.
“I felt like I had it,” Kuchta said. “The changeup was working really well today. I was getting a lot of swings and misses, and rollovers, and the two seam was also working really well in getting in on the hands.”
Kuchta said that his changeup has been very effective in getting batters out this season.
“I was working on it in the off season, it really has a lot of bite to it,” Kuchta said.
In addition to his pitches working well against the Hilltoppers, having an excellent senior captain catcher, Graysen Bischof, behind the dish to call the game was certainly to Kuchta’s advantage.
Bischof said that Kuchta has been excellent on the mound for the Bombers the past two years. And this year he has seen Kuchta’s pitching continue to improve as he added an excellent changeup.
Bischof said that last season Kuchta’s pitching sequences mostly just included fastballs and curveballs while throwing in the low 70s as a freshman.
“This year (as a sophomore) he kind of bumped it up; he’s closer to 80 with a nasty changeup,” Bischof said. “He’s been able to put away hitters or get ground balls all day long. It’s been awesome to catch because it’s easy. He spots pitches, he hits locations. It’s just easy for me back there because I know I can trust anything I call.”
To support Kuchta’s excellent pitching, the Bombers got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead.
The Bombers scored when Tristan Pattie drove in Ryan Flynn from third base.
After a scoreless third inning, the Bombers added two runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead. First, Flynn’s double drove in A.J. Soltis from third base. Then, after a Bombers groundout, Flynn scored on a passed ball.
Both the Bombers and Hilltoppers added runs in the 6th inning to make the final score 4-1.
Although the Bombers defeated the Hilltoppers 4-1 on April 30, the first game of the season was a completely different ballgame.
On April 27 at Munson Township Park in Chardon, the Hilltoppers defeated the Bombers 13-3.
After the Bombers and Hilltoppers played to a 2-2 tie after the top of the third inning, the Hilltoppers scored two runs in the bottom of the third, four runs in the fourth, and four runs in the fifth inning to take a 12-3 lead.
The Hilltoppers then scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to run-rule the Bombers 13-3.
Earning the victory on the mound for the Hilltoppers was John Timko.
Timko threw 6 innings, only giving up two earned runs and striking out four Bombers batters.
In the Hilltoppers victory over the Bombers, they were led offensively by Michael Baitt (2-2, 2 RBI), Dom Grano (2-4, 2 RBI), Ty Roediger (1-1, 2 RBI, 4BB) and A.J. Perfetto (1-1), 2 RBI, 3BB).
For the season, Kuchta has led the Bombers on the mound with a 2.80 ERA in 30 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts.
Offensively, the Bombers have been led this season by Joey Artale (21-55, .382 avg., .477 obp, 2 HR, 8 2B, 12 RBI), Bischof (19-50, .380 avg., .468 obp, 2 HR, 2 2B, 15 RBI), and Jack Latz (20-60, .333 avg., obp .452, 1 HR, 5 2B, 10 RBI).
For the Hilltoppers, they have been led offensively this season by J.B. Burton (8-18, .444 avg., .560 obp, 6 RBI), Jayden Buth (20-49, .408 avg., .483 OBP 1HR, 4 2B, 17 RBI), and Tim Robertson (14-46, .370 avg., .464 obp, 6 2B, 12 RBI).
The Hilltoppers return to the field on May 4 when they host the Mayfield Wildcats. The Bombers also return to the diamond on May 4 when they host the Eastlake North Rangers.
